Carlisis wahlbergi
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Carlisis wahlbergi (Stål, 1858) aka the Gardenia twig wilter is a Central and Southern African species of Coreidae in the order Hemiptera. The species was first described by Carl Stål, the Swedish authority on Hemiptera, and based on a specimen collected by the Swedish naturalist Johan August Wahlberg at Lake Ngami in Bechuanaland.
The species shows a marked preference for the sap of Gardenia thunbergia and Gardenia volkensii, and its nymphs possess powerfully offensive scent glands to discourage predation or interference. This defensive secretion has been analysed and found to consist largely of acetic acid (66%), trans-2-hexenal (17%) and 3-hydroxybutanal (14%). Even so the adults are eaten in Zimbabwe. Nymphs of various Coreids secrete alarm pheromones from the dorsal abdominal glands. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Gardenia Twig Wilter sighting in Johannesburg on a given day, based on 47 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 27th most-seen of the 213 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and September–November
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Gardenia Twig Wilter in Johannesburg on a given day, against about 10% in August and December–June, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Gardenia Twig Wilter sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Gardenia Twig Wilter sightings, Johannesburg has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Pretoria (South Africa, about 10%) and Cape Town (South Africa, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Gardenia Twig Wilter is recorded against all the insects logged in Johannesburg (47 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
